Leaders Have Squandered Nation’s Wealth, Honor

By

Mike Pulaski

I am an American Patriot.  I am proud of that.  I am proud of the American Ideals established by our Founding Fathers.  I am proud of my combat military service in the name of upholding these Ideals like countless other patriots before me.

However, I am not proud of what we have become as a society.  In fact, I am ashamed and saddened. 

I am ashamed of what our leaders have done to America.  I am saddened that we as a people have allowed these leaders to do it.  Their priorities are wrong and they won’t listen to the people and change them.  They have methodically squandered our wealth, honor and reputation. 

The priorities of our government leaders are upside down.  Recently, our President vetoed a child healthcare bill because it was “too expensive”.  Yet, at the same time, our President and Congressional Representatives continue funding the Iraq war that so far costs $700 Billion.  It will end up costing us $2 Trillion provided we get out before year end.  We the people want the child healthcare provisions and oppose the war.  Our leaders turn a deaf ear. 

Our government sends young men and women to Iraq and Afghanistan in harm’s way only to cheat them out of benefits when they come home.  The medical treatment and disability benefits for those wounded in combat are scandalous due to inadequate government funding. 

National Guard soldiers from Minnesota were cheated out of their GI education benefits.  Their deployment orders were intentionally written so that they would be one day short of qualifying for them.  They didn’t discover this until they returned from the longest deployment of any unit to date. 

These examples of our government short-shrifting its citizens to “save money” are only a few of the many instances of a war economy which we have allowed ourselves to become. 

Whenever our government leaders need more money to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they pass a law raising our debt ceiling, thereby creating “new” money.  This is like increasing your credit card limit when you cannot afford to buy something you “must have”.  You don’t think about the interest you will pay in addition to repaying the amount borrowed.  Sounds irresponsible, huh? 

Our government has been doing the same thing for quite sometime.  We are borrowing our money from the Chinese Communists.  In fact, the Chinese government holds about one-third of our debt.  When do you think they will eventually “own” us? 

Our leaders have caused a profound degrading of our reputation as an honorable society.  Remember when you thought that only the worst societies tortured people?  Societies like Hitler’s Nazis, the former Soviet Union, and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq?  Heads up, fellow citizens. We are quickly becoming a member of that ignoble club. 

During our Revolutionary War, General George Washington established that we not torture prisoners.  That policy held true for over 200 years and many wars.  Lieutenant George W. Bush, who went AWOL during the Vietnam War, reversed General Washington’s policy and promoted the torture of war prisoners.  When it became too controversial in 2004, he publicly denounced torture, calling it “abhorrent”.  

Secretly, however, President Bush authorized the continuation of torture in 2005 by signing off on a legal brief approved by his Attorney General.  He approved the interrogation techniques of beatings, waterboarding, ice baths in air conditioned rooms (causing hypothermia), holding stress body positions while being restrained, and sleep deprivation. 

The Gestapo of Nazi Germany used these same methods of torture on their prisoners.  In an instruction manual written in 1942 for Gestapo personnel by its Chief Muller, the Nazi’s referred to this type of torture as “Verschärfte Vernehmung”, or “Enhanced Interrogation”.  President Bush calls it the same thing. 

The Gestapo policy did not permit waterboarding or hypothermia, saying these methods were too severe.  President Bush’s secret policy permits them. 

At a war crimes trial after WWII (Case No. 12 Trial of Kriminalsekretär, by the Supreme Court of Norway, July 3, 1946) former Gestapo soldiers were found guilty of employing  Verschärfte Vernehmung and sentenced to death as war criminals for the torture they committed.  The torture they used was similar to what is now authorized by Bush’s secret 2005 memo; specifically, beatings and hypothermia.  At least two prisoners we held have died from hypothermia. 

In October 2006, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act, giving President Bush and his administration immunity from prosecution as war criminals.  They apparently became worried about the “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques” they authorized.  The passage of this Act allows them to continue with torture to this day, free from legal consequences. 

Denial of children’s and wounded veterans’ healthcare.  Short-changing veterans’ benefits.  Mortgaging our financial future to a totalitarian regime.  Torturing prisoners without legal consequences. 

Do these things make you proud or ashamed to be an American? 

Think about it.